Interesting health-related news:

     Read this for some righteous indignation with big sugar....how US big industry bullies the world to the detriment of health.
https://nutritionfacts.org/2017/07/25/big-sugar-flexes-its-muscles/?utm_content=buffered01e&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer


     Here is an interesting study on exercise and bone health.  Will one minute of running a day strengthen your bones?
http://www.runnersworld.com/sweat-science/will-1-minute-of-running-a-day-really-strengthen-your-bones

It's a new week....

Groaner for the day

Question:  What do you call a runner who's wearing earbuds?
Answer:
Question:  I said, What do you call a runner who's wearing earbuds?
Answer:

Washington's biggest problem is its men.

     What do you think?  I agree, at least regarding republican men.

http://www.latimes.com/opinion/opinion-la/la-ol-collins-farenthold-duel-20170726-story.html

A history lesson for Trump: Transgender soldiers served in the Civil War

http://www.denverpost.com/2017/07/27/donald-trump-transgender-military-history-civil-war/

Not my circus, not my monkeys. Old Polish Proverb.

   

     Like I've said earlier, I am lacking motivation.  I didn't get out to walk the dog until mid-morning, so it was hot and we picked a route where we could find a few patches of shade.  So did this guy!  I wouldn't have even noticed him if he hadn't raised his head and silhouetted his antlers.  He is so beautiful.

Next episode in the arsenic in rice saga...

     One half cup of rice a day may carry 100 times the acceptable risk of cancer.  And I've always loved rice.  I don't buy it anymore, but do eat it occasionally when eating out. (I love Thai food). I never eat chicken, either, so avoid that source...but have you noticed most dog food has rice and chicken?  We are feeding our pets non-stop arsenic. I'm changing how I feed my dog, as well.

https://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-risk-from-arsenic-in-rice-and-seaweed/?utm_content=buffer62d49&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer

Sports do not build character. They reveal it. Heywood Brown

     I'm having trouble finding motivation to work out lately.  I was hoping to build character, maybe I've just been revealing it. Best get it in gear...

Talk doesn't cook rice......Chinese Proverb
     (No pun intended from the Rice articles)

Wild Animal Sanctuary

     We went to the Wild Animal Sanctuary in Keenesburg, CO today.  It was a sunny, hot afternoon.  Most of the 450 rescued animals were smart and were sleeping in the shade of their dens.  The big cats that were out, lions, tigers, and panther, were all snoozing away. The bears were out and about, though. Next time, we'll arrive in the cool of the evening.

     We were walking on walkways well above the animals so as not to stress them.  I am afraid of heights so taking this picture of sleeping tigers while bending over the protective railing and not losing my hat or phone (or lunch) was a trick.  You can see our shadow and the walkway shadow above the tigers.

More health news:

     Here is a follow-up to the link I posted earlier this week on why chicken, rice, mushrooms and wine are so contaminated with arsenic.  This link covers the effects of too much arsenic in our food.....not a good thing.
https://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-effects-of-too-much-arsenic-in-the-diet/?utm_content=bufferd8f1e&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer


     Cleveland Clinic has issued an e-mail warning that eating meat increases the risk of diabetes. Here is Dr. Joel Kahn's post where he lists 9 major studies confirming this.
https://medium.com/@Kahn642/concern-not-celebration-over-rising-meat-consumption-the-connection-to-diabetes-944ac4bc7f3c


     I did some online research on grains other than rice and their arsenic content.
Per Consumer Reports:
The gluten-free grains amaranth, buckwheat, millet, and polenta or grits had negligible levels of inorganic arsenic. Bulgur, barley, and farro, which contain gluten, also have very little arsenic. Quinoa (also gluten-free), had average inorganic arsenic levels comparable to those of other alternative grains. But some samples had quite a bit more. Though they were still much lower than any of the rices, those spikes illustrate the importance of varying the types of grains you eat. 
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine/2015/01/how-much-arsenic-is-in-your-rice/index.htm

Per NutritionFacts.org  wild rice has comparable levels of arsenic to regular rice.
"Wild rice appears to have levels of arsenic comparable to regular rice, whether sourced from China, sold in the U.S., or specifically from Wisconsin."

UN warning to the US about risk to our freedoms

http://progresstribune.com/3129/rp1bb-ml1-pt2-ls-11-un-stepped-issue-severe-warning-gop-plans-strip-americans-freedoms-exposed/

And this was before Trump was considering pardoning his family, his aides, and himself, and working on getting rid of the 1st Amendment, and shutting down our war crimes office.


     And what the h was this?

Never be bullied into silence.------Robert Frost

     A friend of mine shared this quote.  I really like it.
“
Loneliness is the human condition. Cultivate it. The way it tunnels into you allows your soul room to grow. Never expect to outgrow loneliness. Never hope to find people who will understand you, someone to fill that space. An intelligent, sensitive person is the exception, the very great exception. If you expect to find people who will understand you, you will grow murderous with disappointment. The best you'll ever do is to understand yourself, know what it is that you want, and not let the cattle stand in your way.” 
― Janet Fitch, White Oleander

It's time

There comes a day, somewhere in the middle of every woman’s life, when Mother Nature herself stands behind us and wraps her arms around our shoulders, whispering

“It’s time.”

“You have taken enough now. It’s time to stop growing up, stop growing older and start growing wiser – and wilder.

There are adventures still waiting on you and this time, you will enjoy them with the vision of wisdom and the companionship of hindsight, and you will really let go.

It’s time to stop the madness of comparison and the ridicule of schedule and conformity and start experiencing the joys that a life, free of containment and guilt, can bring.”

She will shake your shoulders gently and remind you that you’ve done your bit. You’ve given too much, cared too much, you’ve suffered too much.

You’ve bought the book as it were and worn the t-shirt.

Worse, you’ve worn the chains and carried the weight of a burden far too heavy for your shoulders.

“It’s time” she will say.

“Let it go, really let it go and feel the freedom of the fresh, clean spaces within you. Fill them with discovery, love and laughter. Fill yourself so full you will no longer fear what is ahead and instead you will greet each day with the excitement of a child.”

She will remind you that if you choose to stop caring what other people think of you and instead of caring what you think of you, that you will experience a new era of your life you never dreamed possible.

‘It’s time’ she will say…

“to write the ending, or new beginning, of your own story.”

Donna Ashworth

Well Duh!

     Scientists uncover evidence that cancer is a man-made disease.

http://www.neonnettle.com/news/2421-scientists-uncover-evidence-that-cancer-is-a-man-made-disease



    Also, good to know:  why chicken, rice, mushrooms and wine are all so contaminated with arsenic..

https://nutritionfacts.org/video/where-does-the-arsenic-in-rice-mushrooms-and-wine-come-from/?utm_source=NutritionFacts.org&utm_campaign=a2d8a26770-RSS_VIDEO_DAILY&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_40f9e497d1-a2d8a26770-23307913&mc_cid=a2d8a26770&mc_eid=d4788bd909



     Big processed-food companies are starting to hurt financially. Consumers want healthier foods and are shopping the store perimeters. Yay....voting with your wallet is slowly working.

  An analysis by Moskow found that the top 25 U.S. food and beverage companies have lost an equivalent of $18 billion in market share since 2009. “I would think of them like melting icebergs,” he says. “Every year they become a little less relevant.”

http://fortune.com/2015/05/21/the-war-on-big-food/

I.F.

     Here are good articles on intermittent fasting, if you are interested.  The first is a research article discussing the medical benefits of IF, of which there are many.


https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3946160/


http://www.nomeatathlete.com/intermittent-fasting/


     Also, here is a great article on vegan sources of Omega 3 fats.

https://plenteousveg.com/vegan-sources-omega-3/


     I'm learning a lot, today.

So epic....

 Watch 101 year old Julia "Hurricane" Hawkins race 100 meters....

http://www.runnersworld.com/older-runners/101-year-old-champion-after-race-i-missed-my-nap-for-this?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=Social&utm_term=985157731&utm_campaign=Runner%E2%80%99s%20World

Hardrock 100.5 mile ultramarathon

    The Hardrock 100 took place this past weekend here in Colorado.  It starts and ends in Silverton, runs through Telluride and Ouray, crosses 13 major passes, summits Handies Peak (14048 ft), and includes 66,000 ft of elevation change. This year there were bad storms with lightning on day one.
     The male winner, Spaniard Kilian Jornet, suffered a dislocated shoulder, and used his water/backpack for a sling for the remainder of the race, finishing in 24 hours, 32 min.
     The female winner, France's Caroline Chaverot, got lost in the dark, took a bad fall, and finished, with injured ribs and lacerations, in 28 hours, 31 minutes.
     Absolutely Amazing!

   If you are in the mood for more running, here is Buster Keaton running for his life in a chase scene classic:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wuQ8uxJ6SQ


     Update to the Hardrock 100, Here is an article about the last finisher who finished just under the 48 hour cutoff.  Amazing.  Running for 48 straight hours.....
http://www.denverpost.com/2017/07/16/hardrock-100-2017-finish/

Donor Dash 5K....Not all super-heroes wear capes!

     To raise money for organ donation in Colorado.
     I got there early.  It was a beautiful morning while waiting at the start.

     A portion of the Memorial Wall:

(Not my arm)

     They also had a Donor Garden with photos and comments on signs about donors....too sad, but I made myself read each and every one.


My results:
Congratulations #3856, DEBORAH JOHNSON!

Here are your results for the 2017 Donor Dash:

Your final time is 00:41:47 at a 00:13:28 pace. 
You finished 1304 out of 4511 in the 5k.
You finished 14 out of 117 in your class F65-69.


PS  The park where the race was run has a big lake, so there are lots of Canada geese.  Before the race start, the geese were parading away from the gathering crowds.  One crossed right in front of me, looked me directly in the eye, and nodded.  I swear it was saying "Namaste."   "The spirit in me salutes the spirit in you", too, goose.  Right back atcha.  Have a good day.

Consistency is the last refuge of the unimaginative......Oscar Wilde

And here I've been working on consistency all this time.

The blessing comes when you are outside of your comfort zone.

Motivation for the day...

     This is what happened when Inky Johnson met his father for the first time....

                                                   (YouTube)

I unabashedly love Dad Jokes.

                                                                             

                                                                       Dad Jokes 

Love this and had to share.

Life at Midlife

I am no longer waiting for a special occasion; I burn the best candles on ordinary days.
I am no longer waiting for the house to be clean; I fill it with people who understand that even dust is Sacred.
I am no longer waiting for everyone to understand me; It’s just not their task
I am no longer waiting for the perfect children; my children have their own names that burn as brightly as any star.
I am no longer waiting for the other shoe to drop; It already did, and I survived.
I am no longer waiting for the time to be right; the time is always now.
I am no longer waiting for the mate who will complete me; I am grateful to be so warmly, tenderly held.
I am no longer waiting for a quiet moment; my heart can be stilled whenever it is called.
I am no longer waiting for the world to be at peace; I unclench my grasp and breathe peace in and out.
I am no longer waiting to do something great; being awake to carry my grain of sand is enough.
I am no longer waiting to be recognized; I know that I dance in a holy circle.
I am no longer waiting for Forgiveness.
I believe, I Believe.

Author: Mary Anne Perrone

               shared from 

Wild Woman Sisterhood

One of the best suggestions ever!

“If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work, and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea.”

― Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Scary stuff!

http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2017/07/climate-change-earth-too-hot-for-humans.html

Live with Gusto!

     I'm part of a "Make 2017 Epic, Life with Gusto" Group, and a few of us got together last night for a run and a picnic.  This photo is for our friend Collette, who started the group, and now lives in Ohio.

Does it look like we were spelling Gusto?  I'm the T.

The 3 of us decided to run the Rim Rock Half at the Colorado National Monument in November.  Here we are making arrangements.

Runners are good people.
How was your Sunday?

Yep....that's me.

     But I'm out there trying anyway.

"Freedom is never really won. You earn it and win it in every generation." - Coretta Scott King

     So true. Voting, healthcare, freedom of the press, freedom of speech, safe water, safe food, national parks and monuments, and the continued life of our planet are all on the chopping block.

Turmeric to prevent type 2 diabetes

     Turmeric is a wonderful spice.  It has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects.  I take it daily (with black pepper to help absorption) with my breakfast hot cereal.  According to a study published in the Journal of the American Diabetes Association, it can also prevent and treat type II diabetes. Wonderful!

http://www.care2.com/greenliving/turmeric-curcumin-for-prediabetes.html?utm_content=buffer125f7&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer

Don't be like 45.....

I miss the wisdom of George Carlin. I read this on FB today and had to share.

SOMETHING TO PONDER: George Carlin

George Carlin's wife died early in 2008 and George followed her, dying in July 2008. It is ironic George Carlin - comedian of the 70's and 80's - could write something so very eloquent and so very appropriate. An observation by George Carlin:

The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider Freeways, but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness.

We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.

We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.

We've learned how to make a living, but not a life. We've added years to life not life to years. We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. We conquered outer space but not inner space. We've done larger things, but not better things.

We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We've conquered the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less.

These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill. It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom. A time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete.

Remember to spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever.

Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side.

Remember, to give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn't cost a cent.

Remember, to say, 'I love you' to your partner and your loved ones, but most of all mean it. A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep inside of you.

Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not be there again.

Give time to love, give time to speak! And give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind.

And always remember, life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by those moments that take our breath away.

George Carlin

     I am so very grateful for air conditioning!  I would be living in the basement or at the library if it weren't for the big AC.

trains

     220 cities are losing all passenger train service per 45's elimination of all Federal funding for Amtrak.  How many jobs are being lost?  I thought he "promised" to build infrastructure.

http://www.masstransitmag.com/press_release/12322126/220-cities-losing-all-passenger-train-service-per-trump-elimination-of-all-federal-funding-for-amtraks-national-network-trains

US retires from world leadership

     The US is being left behind.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-07-03/as-u-s-retires-from-world-leadership-china-and-germany-step-up

The First Amendment

     This is part of that "archaic Constitution" which Donald Trump hates so much and wants to dismantle.

     Reading Facebook posts today, I see there is so much unhappiness and despair at what America has become in just the last 6 months!  So many people feel no reason to celebrate.  Someone shared this poem, which I had never read before.

Let America Be America Again

Langston Hughes, 1902 - 1967

Let America be America again.
Let it be the dream it used to be.
Let it be the pioneer on the plain
Seeking a home where he himself is free.

(America never was America to me.)

Let America be the dream the dreamers dreamed—
Let it be that great strong land of love
Where never kings connive nor tyrants scheme
That any man be crushed by one above.

(It never was America to me.)

O, let my land be a land where Liberty
Is crowned with no false patriotic wreath,
But opportunity is real, and life is free,
Equality is in the air we breathe.

(There’s never been equality for me,
Nor freedom in this “homeland of the free.”)

Say, who are you that mumbles in the dark? 
And who are you that draws your veil across the stars?

I am the poor white, fooled and pushed apart,
I am the Negro bearing slavery’s scars.
I am the red man driven from the land,
I am the immigrant clutching the hope I seek—
And finding only the same old stupid plan
Of dog eat dog, of mighty crush the weak.

I am the young man, full of strength and hope,
Tangled in that ancient endless chain
Of profit, power, gain, of grab the land!
Of grab the gold! Of grab the ways of satisfying need!
Of work the men! Of take the pay!
Of owning everything for one’s own greed!

I am the farmer, bondsman to the soil.
I am the worker sold to the machine.
I am the Negro, servant to you all.
I am the people, humble, hungry, mean—
Hungry yet today despite the dream.
Beaten yet today—O, Pioneers!
I am the man who never got ahead,
The poorest worker bartered through the years.

Yet I’m the one who dreamt our basic dream
In the Old World while still a serf of kings,
Who dreamt a dream so strong, so brave, so true,
That even yet its mighty daring sings
In every brick and stone, in every furrow turned
That’s made America the land it has become.
O, I’m the man who sailed those early seas
In search of what I meant to be my home—
For I’m the one who left dark Ireland’s shore,
And Poland’s plain, and England’s grassy lea,
And torn from Black Africa’s strand I came
To build a “homeland of the free.”

The free?

Who said the free?  Not me?
Surely not me?  The millions on relief today?
The millions shot down when we strike?
The millions who have nothing for our pay?
For all the dreams we’ve dreamed
And all the songs we’ve sung
And all the hopes we’ve held
And all the flags we’ve hung,
The millions who have nothing for our pay—
Except the dream that’s almost dead today.

O, let America be America again—
The land that never has been yet—
And yet must be—the land where every man is free.
The land that’s mine—the poor man’s, Indian’s, Negro’s, ME—
Who made America,
Whose sweat and blood, whose faith and pain,
Whose hand at the foundry, whose plow in the rain,
Must bring back our mighty dream again.

Sure, call me any ugly name you choose—
The steel of freedom does not stain.
From those who live like leeches on the people’s lives,
We must take back our land again,
America!

O, yes,
I say it plain,
America never was America to me,
And yet I swear this oath—
America will be!

Out of the rack and ruin of our gangster death,
The rape and rot of graft, and stealth, and lies,
We, the people, must redeem
The land, the mines, the plants, the rivers.
The mountains and the endless plain—
All, all the stretch of these great green states—
And make America again!

          My Shero......

I guess where I come down is: I believe in aging. And aging in a badass way. Dr. Sarah Lesko

Love this....

https://www.forksoverknives.com/why-i-abandoned-traditional-cardiology-to-become-the-healthy-heart-doc/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&utm_content=vegan&utm_term=plant-based#gs.r6BUkyE

“Don't tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass.” ― Anton Chekhov

   

FYI....If you are still buying processed food.....

you may want to read this article to find what is in it!

https://foodbabe.com/2016/11/15/monsanto/

It's a new month....